This Spear... I'm No Match for Him

Everyone headed toward the dazzling array of weapon racks to choose their weapons.

The racks held a wide variety of weapons.

But at a glance, sabers, spears, and swords were still the three mainstream choices.

Very few students chose other, less popular weapons.

Qin Yan took a deep breath and gripped the Spear that belonged to him.

It was nearly two meters long and weighed around five kilograms. The cold metal shaft felt familiar and reassuring in his hand.

With a flick of one arm and a twist of his wrist, he swept the Spear through the air in a sharp arc.

"Whoosh—"

The spearhead trembled, producing a faint hum.

With his current vitality and strength,

the Spear's weight and length were just right, allowing him to bring out the greatest extent of his abilities.

Martial Arts Skill was one of the Three Barriers of the College Entrance Exam, just as important as one's vitality value.

Qin Yan's decision to specialize in Spear Technique had come after careful consideration.

The Spear was the king of all weapons, combining reach with flexibility.

In battle, it could suppress opponents from a distance and deliver a fatal blow when an opportunity arose.

As the saying went, "An extra inch of reach meant an extra inch of strength." It was especially dominant in open terrain.

Before long, Gu Feng strode into the skill-testing area at the center of the gymnasium, wielding an unsharpened combat training saber.

He was burly, nearly one hundred ninety centimeters tall, and possessed an imposing aura even without showing anger.

The previously noisy gymnasium immediately fell silent.

All the students quickly lined up, their gazes turning in unison toward the coach.

"Next, we will conduct the Martial Dao skill test."

Gu Feng's eagle-like gaze swept over the entire room, his voice steady and forceful.

"I'll assess you in order from lowest to highest according to the previous test rankings. Stay sharp. This is not just a formality—it's a real combat test to see whether any of you have slacked off recently!"

He opened the electronic tablet in his hand and glanced at the list. "Rank ninety-seven, Xiao Huohuo."

A slightly thin student in a black training uniform stepped out from the line.

His weapon was quite unusual: a massive, jet-black Ancient Ruler with an archaic design.

Xiao Huohuo walked to the center of the field, gripping the ruler's handle with both hands as he nervously looked at Gu Feng ten meters away.

"For this assessment, I'll suppress my vitality to 80 Cal. The standards will follow the Gaokao. I hope all of you can at least demonstrate a First Stage Mid Rank level of skill."

Xiao Huohuo's palms immediately broke out in sweat, and his heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.

80 Cal of vitality?

That was a full 20 Cal more than him. How was he supposed to fight?

In a Martial Dao clash, a 20 Cal vitality gap was practically an overwhelming advantage.

"What are you standing around for? Waiting for me to invite you to attack?"

Gu Feng frowned and barked sharply.

"O-Okay."

Startled awake by the shout, Xiao Huohuo gritted his teeth.

He pushed off with his feet and shot toward Gu Feng like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The ten-meter distance vanished in an instant.

The muscles in his arms tightened.

He swung the heavy black Ancient Ruler, borrowing the momentum of his charge as it tore through the air and smashed fiercely toward Gu Feng!

The strike was powerful and imposing, the wind from the ruler howling toward its target.

Yet the burly Gu Feng moved with astonishing agility.

He merely shifted sideways with what seemed like a casual step.

The heavy ruler's edge swept past the hem of his clothes by a hair's breadth, the gust it created stirring his hair.

"Continue!"

Gu Feng's voice was low, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Xiao Huohuo clenched his teeth. Using the rotational force from the Ancient Ruler's missed blow, he twisted with the motion and swept its broad surface sideways.

He followed with an unbroken succession of upward strikes and downward chops!

He had practically unleashed every Ruler Technique move he knew.

But Gu Feng was like a reef amid raging winds and towering waves, moving his feet only within a tiny area.

More often than not, he merely leaned aside slightly, stepped half a pace back, or took a small step forward.

With the smallest movements possible, he avoided every attack.

The training saber remained behind his back, never once raised.

"Pathetic!"

Gu Feng seemed to have lost his patience.

The instant the Ancient Ruler had just finished a downward chop, when Xiao Huohuo's old strength had run out and new strength had yet to arise, he moved!

His figure flashed as he slipped directly into Xiao Huohuo's inner range.

At the same time, the training saber had somehow already swung out.

It flicked upward with perfect precision, its spine lightly striking the body of the Ancient Ruler.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out.

Xiao Huohuo felt an immense yet exquisitely applied force travel through the ruler, and pain exploded in the web between his thumb and forefinger.

Unable to hold on any longer, the black Ancient Ruler flew from his hands.

It crashed onto the polished floor several meters away with a loud clatter.

"Your Ruler Technique is rigid. You only know how to use brute force! Your transitions are slow, and you're full of openings! Your method of exerting force is wrong too—you waste seventy percent out of ten! In my opinion, you're still far from meeting the First Stage Mid Rank assessment standard! Go back and think it over properly! Next, rank ninety-six, Ye Fan!"

Xiao Huohuo's face flushed red. In embarrassment, he picked up his Ancient Ruler, lowered his head, and hurried back into the line.

The tests proceeded in ranking order as students stepped forward one by one for assessment.

The process was almost identical every time.

Like Xiao Huohuo, most students attacked Gu Feng with everything they had.

Gu Feng, meanwhile, evaded with his superb footwork.

As he did so, he observed their techniques.

In the end, he often needed only one slash to precisely knock their weapons away.

At the same time, he unerringly pointed out the fatal flaws and shortcomings in each student's technique.

Quite a few students lasted even less time than expected, and some failed to make Gu Feng move even a single step.

"Rank thirty-five, Qin Yan."

Upon hearing his name, Qin Yan tightened his grip on the Spear and stepped forward.

"Coach Gu, please instruct me."

He first cupped his fist in salute, then his gaze sharpened.

His entire aura abruptly changed, as though he had become one with the Spear in his hands.

Without the slightest warning, he suddenly leaned forward and exploded into motion.

In an instant, he crossed several meters, the Spear in his hand turning into a cold flash as it shot straight toward Gu Feng's centerline!

It was unbelievably fast!

"Hm?"

For the first time, a subtle change appeared on Gu Feng's normally impassive face.

A glint flashed through his eyes. "That explosive power? That speed and angle of the thrust?"

"So fast!"

"Damn... Qin Yan's Spear Technique seems to have gotten stronger again!"

"Is this what Class Monitor Gu meant by a late bloomer?"

The surrounding students also revealed looks of shock and could not help whispering among themselves.

"This guy... he's practically a monster!"

Someone muttered.

In the past, Qin Yan's overall strength had always been in the lower-middle range of the class.

But half a month ago, it was as though he had suddenly figured something out. His Spear Technique and Stance Training had both begun improving rapidly.

Coach Gu Feng had said Qin Yan was a late bloomer.

In the previous test, Qin Yan's class ranking had already risen to the middle tier.

And now, it seemed that his rate of improvement had not slowed in the slightest!

"This spear strike... I'm no match for him."

A calm voice rang out from the crowd, causing a small commotion.

Everyone turned in surprise.

The speaker was a student with a stern expression.

He too held a Spear, standing as straight as a pine tree.

His name was Wang Ping, one of the class's best students specializing in Spear Technique. He was ranked eleventh in Martial Dao within the class.

His Spear Technique had already reached the peak of First Stage Mid Rank, nearing First Stage High Rank.

"Wang Ping, you're joking, right? Your Spear Technique is already one of the strongest in our class."

Someone beside him found it hard to believe.

Wang Ping kept his eyes fixed on Qin Yan's figure in the field and shook his head.

His tone was calm, but a barely perceptible ripple passed through his eyes.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this. Qin Yan's Spear Technique really is stronger than mine."

He simply could not understand why Qin Yan's rate of improvement was so terrifying.